"I gave my life to Satan a long time ago," the girl (or the spirit inside her) hissed at me, unable to make eye contact.
"Then you made the wrong alliance," I countered. "You were worth the life of Jesus Christ. It's not too late. He can save you today."
For the first time in this encounter in a darkened garage that December morning of 2009, she looked at me. And those eyes! They looked like hallow orbs that absorbed light rather than reflecting it. I saw the face of this girl tense up and contort, until I could see the face of the evil she had allowed in looking at me...in fear. In hate. In rage, because my Master had defeated his. I refer to the demon(s) in the masculine--for lack of definite knowledge. The girl cowered from me, covering her face, shaking.
How had I ended up in a dark garage in the early hours of December 23, 2009 (shortly after midnight), facing down a demonized teen? That's a story for another day--all part of what can happen in ministry at times. But I will say the power of God clearly overshadowed the power of Satan, and brought fear to Satan's followers.
As believers, was are sometimes reminded that we are fighting a war. A war between good and evil, God and Satan. This war has been raging since almost the beginning of the world, and will rage until Jesus returns once and for all. Every living person on this earth is part of that war, whether they know it or not. When you received Jesus, you defected from Satan's side to God's, and now, you are one of Satan's prime targets! We fight on God's side. God could win the war right now if He chose. He could throw Satan into the abyss and win. But He is longsuffering for the sake of people. Second Peter 3:9 says, The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
We look at world events, and can see Satan and God at work. But it isn't just a battle that goes on in the bigger realm like that. It's a battle that takes place in your town. Your church. Your home. Your heart. You are part of that battle. You have an enemy (Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. First Peter 5:8). And you have an advocate in Christ (First John 2:1). Our side wins--we know the end of the story. There are more with us than our enemies (Second Kings 6:16). This is not necessarily true in human terms, but God has His angels all over, as seen in Second Kings 6. We know our enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). That same verse goes on to say that our Master, Jesus, came to give us an abundant life. I think we picked the right side!
I sometimes see myself and others throwing a small battle--giving place to the enemy on some small front, because "it's no big deal." We don't realize the seriousness of what we're doing. I see this happening on the political stage--politicians who espouse biblical values endorsing or giving in to those who do not, as a kind of "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine." They fail to realize the compromises they make only lead to bigger compromises. And the other side never scratches your back in return. This is true not only in these big political ways, but in our lives.
Satan tried to get Jesus to make some seemingly small compromises (Matthew 4). In the final of three temptations, Satan promised Jesus he would give Him the kingdoms of the world if He would only worship him. Satan was offering to throw the battle and give Jesus the kingdoms so that Jesus wouldn't have to die to redeem them. Satan was claiming he would leave them alone. But there was a catch. Jesus had to worship him. If that was the case, Satan would still be in charge of these kingdoms. That's how our adversary works. Nothing is really that easy. Jesus saw it for what it was, and refused Satan's offer. That's what we need to do!
So what battles are we fighting? How is Satan trying to defeat you in your part of the greater battle? My guess is that he is doing it with seemingly little things. He knows you're too astute to fall for something big, like selling your soul to him. He will not successfully tempt you to go out and kill someone today. But can he get your focus off Christ? Can he get you angry with fellow-believers? Can he get you tripped up with your own personal besetting sin? Can he touch on the vulnerable part of your heart with temptations that look beautiful?
Hezekiah was one of Judah's most godly kings. Second Kings 18:5 says, Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. This godly king made sweeping reforms in Judah, ending idolatry, and reinstating true worship of the Lord, He saw God work miracles during his reign. And yet even he gave the enemy a foothold in a moment of weakness. In Second Kings 20, we are told about how some Babylonians came down to see him, and he showed off all his great treasures. His pride was awakened, and he gave in to it. The result was the future captivity of his nation (after his lifetime). Even the godly (like Hezekiah) must be so careful not to give place to the enemy. It can seem harmless, but it isn't! If you know something is wrong, stay away from it! You are in a war! Don't make a peace treaty with the enemy on any front. Don't give Satan any ground! He doesn't play fair. He doesn't keep his promises.
We are frail and weak a times. In Steve Green's song Guard Your Heart, the following lyrics really speak to the ways the enemy can get at us without us even realizing: The human heart is easily swayed and often betrayed at the hand of emotions. We dare not leave the outcome to chance we must choose in advance... So true! We need to make a choice before the temptation is even given to us. Likewise, Amy Grant's song Old Man's Rubble, says, Deep within you there's a spiritual battle. The voice of the darkness, the voice of the light. Just by listening, you've made a decision, because the voice we hear is gonna win the fight. If you wait until you're in an obvious battle, you've already given the battle away. You need to already be choosing truth and righteousness before it even comes to the point of apparent battle. The battle is waging long before you can see or sense it. Hezekiah innocently showed some visitors his treasures. There wasn't an obvious battle between Judah and Babylon at that time. It seemed like a cordial visit. And yet look what it led to,
Satan is subtle and clever. For example, I have no desire or inkling of being unfaithful to my husband. Satan isn't going to bring a man to my door who asks to hop in the sack with me. Satan knows I won't fall for that. But can he tempt me just a little bit every day with fictional characters played by handsome actors who embody traits that touch my heart? Little by little, can he administer that poison until my guard is down? For this reason, I think it is very dangerous for women to indulge "celebrity crushes" as many women on Facebook talk about today. Sadly, many married Christian women get in on this. It may seem harmless, since you don't know the person. Yet, I believe it is one step in a bigger battle against our marriages. Feeling a crush on someone besides your spouse should have you on your knees, and far away from the object of said crush. It may mean turning off the TV, changing your routine, trying to stay away from certain people, putting down a certain book, shutting your browser. Are you willing to do your part to win the battle, not lose it? And lest I pick on women and not men, the same is true for a man looking in lust at another woman. Jesus even addressed this particular issue from a man's point of view But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28). It applies to both sexes.
Maybe your vice is something different. Maybe it is pride, like King Hezekiah. Maybe it is money. Maybe it is food. Maybe it has to do with friendships and other relationships. Don't give Satan even a little foothold. Run away! To quote another song Don't even look in the direction of a thought you should not entertain. (Steven Curtis Chapman, Run Away).
Sometimes it's hard to remember who we're really fighting, because we can't see Satan, but we can see the problems he creates.
We are given some battle tactics. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (Second Corinthians 10:3-5). The moment a thought pops into your mind that isn't of God, reject it. I remember one summer, I was at camp, and the soda vending machine was broken. I figured out how to get free sodas out of it. But I knew it wasn't right, and I was really tempted to get free sodas. This may sound like a laughable dilemma, but it was really wrong. Stealing is a sin. Being so dependent on soda (or any substance) that I'd steal is a deep problem that only God can heal. I went to the camp pastor and told him my problem, and he shared the above passage with me. I needed to bring every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. Every time I craved a free soda, I needed to remind myself of the truth, that I didn't need it, especially not that way. I also needed to make my battle easier by staying away from the machine altogether. That's what we should do with every temptation! Little temptations are part of a battle, and every battle is part of the bigger war. You are a soldier for the Lord. No more time to fool around!
I'm going to close with yet one more song, but one your probably don't know. It was written by Paul Freeman, one of my classmates of Southwest Bible College many years ago: Keep your eyes on the prize, don't look to the side. See the goal the lies ahead, it's there just like I said. Keep your head up, keep it square, for you know you're almost there. There's no time for compromise, keep your eyes on the prize.
